[ female | newborn | 16.1hh | silver black pintaloosa | wild and free ]
Panic seized the filly at first at the sound of hooves against the stone. There were few in the Peak that would harm them, but the number of rants Adelheid had gone on about unwelcome visitors in the mountains had the filly at least a little wary. Her instincts torn between fleeing to safety as a young foal ought to do and protecting her brother, had the spotted girl dancing anxiously in place beside Sciannath’s blue body. Recognition of her mother came quickly. Claudya breathed a sigh of relief. Whatever Adelheid had to say to them wouldn’t be that bad. If anything they would have a solid glare session and be restricted to the clearing for a day. Maybe some harsh words that would have gone in one quirked ear and out the other.
To her utter surprise, Adelheid gave them permission to continue their trek! Clauyda’s bob tail twitched in her excitement. Like Sciannath, her long legs sent her skittering along the trail. Eager to explore, she seemed to go every direction at once. At last she settled on the route that seemed to go the most up, figuring it would be the one chance they got in a while to take the more dangerous routes.
She lipped lightly at him as he whispered in her ear, her grin spread across the whole of her face. Yeah, I don’t want to remind her about the punishments she promised if we disobeyed. Everything from abandoning them with Wasp or Herza, feeding them to the wolves, trading them for a different pair of foals, and even leaving them on the cliffs themselves. Once Adelheid had even vowed to bargain with spirits to take the foals off her hooves. Each threat had been issued with snorts as well as gentle nips at tufting manes. No matter what came from Adelheid’s lips her protective possessiveness of the pair was unquestioned and never waivered. The attitude Adelheid had brought to raising them had given Claudya a sense of reckless adventure and sense of humor. There were still times, however, that the tone of voice their mother used had the filly paying attention in seriousness. Adelheid spoke of honor when a certain golden stallion was nearby, kinship in the presence of Wasp and Herza, loyalty when she spoke if the Peak and the Vulcans themselves. These were words and lessons where the sarcastic and teasing tones faltered from the mare’s voice. They were the lessons Claudya did well to remember.
With her brother at her side, Claudya led the way, spurred by his soft breath on her skin. As the trail started to slope and become more treacherous she was thankful for his presence, and more so for Adelheid’s quiet shadow behind them. Occasionally they would come to a fork in the road. Uncertain, she would glance back at her mother who would be pointedly looking in one direction over another. Pretending to have the ideas herself, Claudya would leap forward with laughter, though her breath was starting to labor.
At last, they came to an outcropping large enough to comfortably accommodate the three of them and even some rough housing. Patches of hardy grass clung to what little dirt had accumulated on the stone. Though not even remotely as high as many of the peaks adult frequented the view from their vantage point was still a wonder to behold. They could see the gentle slopes start to take their steeper climb just below them. The winding paths they had traversed changed to switchbacks if they had decided to continue.
Claudya looked up at the steep cliffs and jagged falls. Her courage paused, but she still drank in the sight thirstily. One day they would walk those trails. But not today. Tearing her eyes away from the ascent, Claudya trotted over to the cliffs ledge. She firmly placed her hooves in the ground, leaned her body weight back, but stretched her neck out as far as it would go so she could look down at a small tree covered gorge below them. Excitement filled her once again and she nudged Sciannath. Do you think there is a river and waterfall down there? Or tree spirits, or something? At least if they went there, they wouldn’t have to worry as much about falling down a mountain.
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Adelheid quietly followed her wayward children, smirking as their words echoed off the mountains around them. Just wait ‘till dinner time. she mumbled audibly, accenting her words with a flick of her tail.
As she watched the two backends lead her wherever their hearts desired she made sure to place herself in ways that would discourage them from the more dangerous routes. As much as trouble as it caused her, she was determined to make sure their confidence in their own choices was never truly shaken.
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